


Battles of a Different Kind

by yarnandtea



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Crack Pairing, F/M, Semi-PWP
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-07
Updated: 2012-11-07
Packaged: 2017-11-18 04:03:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/556693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yarnandtea/pseuds/yarnandtea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As Vega and the others prepare for their final battle against the Reapers, Vega's thoughts wander back to some of his more pleasant encounters since leaving Earth.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the 2012 Mass Effect Big Bang. Super big thanks to jillyfae and to kit_airheart for their wonderful beta help! Any mistakes or general weirdness you find is purely my own oversight and/or stubbornness. Also thank you stonelions for the AMAZING art.
> 
> This is the closest thing I have ever written to PWP, though being me, I had to try to put some semblance of plot in there.
> 
> I feel a good alternate title would be "James has lots and lots of sex with a bunch of people because, hey, he could die tomorrow so why the fuck not?"
> 
> So. Take from that what you will.
> 
> Mild spoilers through the end of ME3.
> 
> (I hope you enjoy it.)

As the shuttle approached the landing zone, Vega looked up to the sky, toward where he knew the Citadel waited, hovering over Earth, just out of view.

"Do you think anyone got off before the Reapers took over?"

"What?" Shepard's question was only a distracted half-acknowledgement. She was focused on the task at hand, on the destruction the Reapers had left in their wake while the crew of the Normandy had been elsewhere, trying to bring back help. Always just that one step too far behind the damned Illusive Man.

"The Citadel," Vega clarified. "D'you think they had a chance to evacuate, or was everyone on board just instantly reclassified as Reaper chow?" Out of the corner of his eye he saw a small frown crease Alenko's brow. The joke was inappropriate, he knew, but it was his way of coping with...well, _everything._ Thankfully Shepard, at least, had figured that out by now and accepted it about him. Seemed to welcome it, even.

"I wish I had an answer for you Vega." The reply was just a heartbeat too long in coming, and he knew that she viewed their loss of the Citadel as yet another failure on her part. He wished he had words to reassure her, but really, what could he say?

"If-- _when_ \--this mission succeeds," Garrus chimed in, "I guess we'll find out, won't we?" Shepard's jaw tightened slightly and she gave a fraction of a nod.

"That we will."

As shitty as it was, Vega had grown _used_ to the probability that everyone he had known on Earth was dead. He'd had time to come to grips with that idea. But the Citadel? They'd _just_ been there. _Millions_ had. The Citadel was the last refuge, that impenetrable fortress that stood for order in the galaxy, even in the face of that attempted Cerberus coup. Yet just like that, it was under Reaper control and hovering over Earth, locked up tight and guarding the fate of its last known occupants like a jealously kept secret.

Vega found himself wondering about one resident in particular. But Aria T'Loak was nothing if not crafty. And resilient. And possessed of a singular knack for survival. Surely she had escaped.... He tried to shake the thought from his mind, focus on the mission, but he kept drifting back to Aria.

Without warning his mind wandered and Vega found himself simultaneously in the shuttle with his crew and on the Citadel, slouching through Purgatory...

She was impossible to miss, taking up one whole public lounge area all by herself. Just Aria and that one guard. Well, one _visible_ guard. From her reputation Vega thought it would be a safe bet to assume there were plenty more hidden throughout the club, sniper rifles ready in case they were needed, despite whatever weapons policies the Citadel might have in place. Not only was she utterly uninterested in mingling with the rest of the Purgatory crowd, she wasn't even bothering to feign any interest in them, seated on that couch facing the dance floor but not bothering to even look at the dancers in front of her. Sure, maybe she was keeping an eye on the entrance. She had a nice side view of the doors, from which she could watch the comings and goings. But maybe she was just doing her damndest to further illustrate a point. She didn't belong here because she was _better_ than everyone else here.

That was really what had motivated him to go up to her, he knew. Her complete detachment from the rest of the club's patrons annoyed him almost as much as it intrigued him. The asari was a damn legend and here she was just cooling her heels in his regular bar. For the first time in his knowledge of her she was truly approachable, despite the clear message of "fuck off" she was broadcasting to the room.

He had been on his way out, thinking he'd swing down to the holding area and see if anyone was up for a hand or two of cards. Otherwise, he figured he'd just call it a night. But he had noticed her out of the corner of his eye as he walked toward the door, and she was _watching_ him. Something in that steely gaze radiated "challenge" to Vega and he couldn't help himself. Without realizing he even meant to do it, he found his feet altering their course and made his way over to her couch. The guard, a burly human who looked puny next to Vega, stepped up to block his path.

Vega arched an eyebrow in question to Aria and the guard peered back over his shoulder to see if he should let the soldier pass. Aria just smirked and gave an almost imperceptible nod. The guard grunted and resumed his position. Vega made his way to the couch and sat down, not too close, Aria's eyes never leaving him as he approached. He got the feeling she was laughing quietly and he wondered briefly if he was the butt of the joke. It wouldn't have been the first time after all. Still. A challenge had been issued, and James Vega wasn't someone to back down from challenges. Especially not when they came attached so such a nice pair of legs. So he settled back into the couch, his arms sprawled along the back, and gave her that cocky Vega grin that always seemed to charm the ladies who wanted to be charmed.

"This place must be positively _boring_ for you after Omega, huh?" He kept his face straight as he asked the question.

Aria chuckled at his foray into conversation and gave him a long assessing look. She didn't bother to answer his question. The answer was obvious enough to both of them.

"Vega. You're on Shepard's crew, aren't you?"

"I am," he answered, letting just a little bit of the smirk show again. Shepard was a rock star to most of the galaxy right now, even if she didn't want to believe it. He wasn't gonna pretend he wasn't proud to be on her crew.

"I keep hearing your name come up in conjunction with her activities," the smallest hint of a frown creased Aria's brow, "but I never saw you when she came around Omega."

"I'm new."

"Yet she trusts you already?" One of those delicately tattooed eyebrows arched, not in disbelief, maybe more in surprise. Or assessment. Again. It seemed he had managed to spark her curiosity.

Images of his "sparring" session with Lola right after this whole mess kicked off flickered through Vega's mind. Whatever differences, or potential differences, he and Shepard had were laid to rest there. They might not be on the same page all of the time, but she was a damn good commander and an even better person. He had placed his trust in her, and she...

"Yeah. She does."

"Is she fucking you?"

"No." A blunt answer for a blunt question. Vega hadn't really thought about it at the time, but afterwards he knew that if he had shown any sign of defensiveness or hesitation to answer, any shock at the query, things would have gone very differently than they had. That would have been his one and only interaction with Aria T'Loak, the Pirate Queen of Omega.

"Do you want her to?" Another blunt question, and a deceptively complicated one at that. Either way, the answer wasn't complicated at all.

"Doesn't matter. Never gonna happen."

That was followed by the smallest hint of a smile, hidden as Aria raised the glass to her lips for a drink. It was a calculated movement, and it worked, drawing his eyes up along with the glass. He could feel the weight of her gaze, appraising this time. Maybe if he hadn't been more than a little buzzed from his earlier round with the marines he would have been surprised at what she said next.

"I've got a private room, under the dance floor. Care to join me for a drink Vega?"

As it turned out, he did.

She knocked back the rest of her glass in one swallow, standing so quickly the next moment he was amazed she didn't get dizzy. _Asari_ , he reminded himself, _different set of rules_. Aria crossed her arms and looked at him expectantly. Vega issued a quiet grunt as he stood up as well, much less gracefully. He didn't let it worry him. From the hungry glint in Aria's eyes, he could tell grace wasn't really what she was after.

"This way." She turned and headed for the private rooms, a body scan allowing them passage into the less public areas of the club. Vega was right behind her, the guard trailing them at a respectful distance. Down a small flight of stairs, a left turn, an empty corridor, and then into a very well-appointed set of rooms. Vega loosed an appreciative whistle and Aria smirked, just a little. Even with Omega stolen from her, she still had clout.

She looked over her shoulder at the guard, who had remained in the doorway. She gave a small nod and received one in return before the man turned to take up position in the hallway. Vega didn't take his eyes off of Aria during the exchange, so he was ready when she pounced on him in the second after he heard the door slide shut.

It was a good thing too, otherwise the force of impact would have driven him right back into the wall. He suspected that was what she had been going for, actually. But instead he dug in and did that brick wall thing he did so well in combat and wrapped his arms around her to pull her in closer as she kissed him with a hunger that _burned_.

He kissed back, enjoying the intensity of the moment, and thought up an appropriate smartass comment for when she finally came up for air. _Been that long, huh?_ Or maybe, _Damn, I must be tastier than I thought._ Aria pulled back from the kiss and began working at his neck with her mouth, all tongue and teeth along his tattoos, and before he could release a quip, a moan escaped in its place. She was not gentle and it felt fucking _fantastic_. Then, without warning, she took him in her hand and gave a firm squeeze. His damn knees almost buckled and for a split second he wished she _had_ managed to shove him against the wall. _When the hell did she even undo my pants, and how did I not notice?_

 

 

__

(Art by [Stonelions](http://stonelions.tumblr.com/post/35244839808/art-based-on-and-created-for-battles-of-a))

 

"Mmm. I thought that might get your attention, Vega," she purred. She pulled back a little and looked up into his eyes, a devious smile playing across her face. She gave him a few slow strokes and he had to fight to keep his eyes from sliding shut in pleasure, instead locking them on hers. Come to think of it, _his_ last hookup hadn't exactly been that recent.

"I'm at your disposal, ma'am," he said, needing to say _something_. Aria laughed in reply. It was a sultry, _dirty_ laugh and Vega's cock twitched in her hand. She gave it one more squeeze and then slipped her hand free of his pants, moving to pull off his shirt.

"Oh I think we _will_ get along famously," she told him as he joined her efforts. He pushed off her jacket and pulled her in for another kiss as it hit the floor. This time he let his hands wander, moving to unfasten buckles and slide off her arm coverings and gloves, kicking off his boots as he did so. As they undressed each other, they let their hands explore one another. Vega reveled in the experience of being touched and of touching. He loved the texture of asari skin. Soft, like human skin, but not entirely smooth. The difference was even more noticeable in an aroused asari, he discovered, as her skin seemed to pebble even more under his ministrations. Once they were naked Aria resumed control.

"This way, Vega," she ordered, pulling him toward the bed in the next room.

"Yes, ma'am," he replied, letting himself be led, pulling her to him for a deep kiss when they were inside the bedroom.

"Yes, there." Aria moaned as he stroked lightly up her neck, applying pressure in the spot where her crests came away from her head. She arched into him, one hand returning to stroke his erection, the other grabbing hold of his ass and squeezing _hard_. Instead of directing him to the bed, she nudged him back to the wall, and remembering his near-fall a few moments earlier, he went without any fuss. She pressed herself into him, one leg hooking around his thigh to draw herself in closer. Vega slid one hand down her back, tracing her ass and then grasping her thigh to hold her leg in place. She rolled her hips and his own bucked in response, a groan of pure want escaping his mouth.

Aria kissed him again, sliding her tongue into his mouth, sharing the taste of expensive alcohol and something deeper, musky. _Her_. She pulled back and licked the unadorned side of his neck before biting down hard enough that Vega suspected there would be a bruise later. He moved his fingers to the tops of her crests, stroking them lightly, paying extra attention to the tips. Aria threw her head back, her eyelids fluttering for a few seconds as she moaned. Vega paused, watching her in awe.

"Goddess, don't _stop_ that!" She barked at him, eliciting a chuckle from Vega. She rolled her hips again and his chuckle turned into another groan. He resumed stroking her crests though, and leaned forward to kiss her throat, sliding his tongue around her neck and up to her jaw, then tracing the markings on the side of her face. She uttered a small, "Mmm," in response to that and he smiled into her neck.

Aria pulled her leg out of his grip and stepped back from him, the hand on his cock moving up to the center of his chest to keep him in place. She looked him up and down a couple of times and tilted her head, contemplating. Vega had to bite the side of his cheek to keep from making a snarky comment while she thought. She had the look of someone formulating a plan, and he kind of wanted to find out what that plan was going to entail. After a moment she nodded to herself and gave him a wicked smile. Vega tried to suppress a nervous swallow at the sight but from her laugh he failed in the attempt.

"On the bed," she ordered, standing in place to watch as he complied, "sit against the headboard, yes, there." She approached, eyeing him critically to make sure he was positioned to her satisfaction. She took his hand closest to her and raised it above his head, placing it so that he was holding the top edge of the headboard.

She raised one knee up on the bed and leaned over to position his other hand and Vega took advantage of the moment to lick a line between the breasts now hanging so tantalizingly in front of his face. He was rewarded with another, "mmm," and then Aria stepped back after getting his second hand in place. She looked him over again and nodded once more before climbing on the bed with him. She straddled his waist and indicated that he should pull his legs up so she was cradled in the V made by his body.

Then, "Don't move." She looked at him, confirming he would follow her lead. He nodded his agreement, meeting her eyes and giving her a toothy grin. Aria lifted herself up then, taking him in hand once more and positioning the tip of his cock at her own opening. "Just let me... _yes_." She slid down on him then and Vega braced himself against the headboard, trying not to buck, his knuckles whitening as they clamped down. _Damn, that's tight!_ It felt amazing though, slick and warm and wonderful. Aria's head had fallen back as he entered her, and he could feel the tips of her crests brushing his knees.

In a moment, she took a deep breath and brought her head back up, looking him in the eyes as she began to undulate. After that there was no more conversation. Just body language and an accompaniment of the moans and groans of a job well done, and of satisfaction on both their parts. He didn't last as long as he would have liked, but Aria didn't complain when she brought him to completion, drawing wordless shouts from the both of them. But no more actual conversation. That wasn't what either of them wanted anyway. What they _wanted_ was fantastic sex and Vega knew he definitely walked away satisfied. From the gleam in Aria's eyes as he got dressed, he was pretty sure he'd delivered as well. She confirmed it with her parting words.

"Stop by again the next time you're on the Citadel. I'm always up for more fun." She said it in that sultry voice again and he couldn't hide the smirk when he looked back. She answered his quick nod with a smirk of her own, and that had been that. He let himself out and made his way back to the Normandy. By the time he reached the ship he was whistling, a cocky grin on his face as he imagined what he'd like to try for their next round of "fun."

Aria wasn't the only asari he'd ever been with, but she was definitely the only one he'd been with repeatedly. Sex with asari was hard for him to describe. In a lot of ways it was the same as sex with human women, but in others...well. No one was actually asking him to describe it anyway, which was probably for the best. He'd never experienced a melding, though one or two had offered. But he'd turned them down gently and then distracted them before they could be too hurt. Even before getting to know Liara, Vega had managed to figure out what a big deal that particular act was. A few of the more adventurous maidens might see it as part of foreplay or as an extra kick to spice things up, not be looking to diversify the gene pool with some human DNA. But for most of the race, the melding, the choosing to make a new life with their partner, that was a _gift_. It was one Vega knew he could never in good conscience accept.

He was more than happy to have a tumble with the willing asari he met, though. Unable to describe it or not, he knew that he liked it, both for the differences and for the similarities. He enjoyed the sense of the alien, of finding out just what worked on asari that wouldn't make a human blink, of adjusting his usual moves to make sure his partner got as much pleasure as he did. A part of him knew that he kept going back to Aria _because_ of that challenge. She could reduce him to incoherence in seconds with those deft fingers and that wicked tongue and with just the right crackle of biotic energy. He wanted to learn how to repay the damn favor. Aria seemed well aware of his goal, and more than happy to indulge him.

On one visit to the Citadel, he swung by Purgatory and ambled over to Aria's lounge before heading to the bar, as had become his habit. She was in deep conversation with a turian who seemed _extremely_ interested in Aria. He was sitting very close to her on the couch, his knees brushing hers and one hand resting on her thigh. Vega had no doubt that if the attention was unwanted, the turian would _not_ be touching Aria like that, so he started to turn, thinking to grab a drink and try meeting up with Lola or Scars. But Aria glanced over as he was turning away. When she saw him she waved him over, a look of annoyance on her face as she murmured something to her companion. Vega frowned slightly, wondering if it was _him_ she was annoyed at, but you don't just ignore Aria T'Loak, so over he went.

The turian sat up a little straighter as Vega approached, and if his expression was any indication, he was _definitely_ annoyed with Vega. Aria patted him consolingly on the knee, deftly sliding away from him as she did so. Unsure of his footing, Vega said the first thing that popped into his mind.

"Hey."

"Vega," Aria replied coolly. The turian was openly scowling at him now. "I should have known Shepard would send a lackey." Vega's eyebrows shot up. Lola hadn't mentioned _anything_ about seeing Aria on this trip, and she definitely hadn't _sent_ him. He felt his own sense of annoyance begin to rise, but before he could protest her treatment of him, Aria held up a hand and turned to her companion. "I apologize, my friend. It seems I have other business to take care of. We will finish this...conversation another time, I promise." She took his hand in both of her own as she said this.

"Of course Aria, of course. You have many demands upon your time. They cannot all be so pleasant as our business. You know how to get in contact with me. I will await your call." He stood up then and made his way out of the lounge, jostling Vega on his way out. Vega crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the turian's back as he left the club.

_The hell was that all about?_

"Look, I didn't mean to interrupt," he started, turning back towards Aria. His apology died out as he realized she was laughing, a throaty chuckle that made his annoyance disappear completely even as he wondered what the joke was this time.

"Goddess, your timing couldn't have been better, Vega! Sit down, sit!" She patted the couch next to her and he slowly sat, taking the seat on the other side of Aria than the turian had occupied. She continued to laugh and all Vega could do was stare at her dumbly, trying to catch up to the sudden change in her attitude. He didn't think he'd _ever_ seen her in such a good mood. Not that his experience with her was vast or limitless, but still, it was new. And unexpected, if he was being honest.

"What the hell...?" He asked her. Aria gestured to her guard, watching him tap his communicator to make a call before she turned back to Vega.

"I was beginning to think that I might actually have to sleep with him to get him to go away," she said with a smirk.

"You, um, didn't seem to mind the attention," Vega said carefully. The last thing he needed was for Aria to think he was jealous. She could do whatever the hell she wanted, he had no illusions that he factored into the equation. Aria waved her hand in dismissal and then sat up as a waiter brought over two drinks, gesturing for Vega to take one while she reached for the other. He took a sip from his glass, it tasted expensive. And potent.

"He just wants to use my connections to arm his little band of mercs," she said, sitting back and taking a sip from her own glass. With her free hand she reached up to the back of his neck, her fingers trailing through the short hair at the nape. Vega leaned back into the touch automatically. "He thinks if he gets me into bed, I'll give him more amenable terms." She scoffed. "As if I would be foolish enough to mix business and pleasure. As if everyone who wanted something from me didn't try the same damn tactic."

They sat in silence for a bit, sipping from the glasses, Aria playing with his hair, Vega relaxing under her touch. He watched the dancers, realizing she hadn't actually apologized for using him to blow the turian off. After some thought he shrugged mentally. _Fuck it, doesn't matter. She's not sorry and I don't actually care that much_. Aria spoke up again, startling him out of his reverie.

"Every once in a while I let one of them get away with that ploy," she mused. He glanced over at her, surprised. "Oh, I let them _believe_ they've gotten a better deal out of me at least," she grinned at his expression. "But it's never as good a deal as they think, and once they've had a taste, well...it's something to dangle in front of them for future negotiations. Hope is a powerful motivator." She gave a cynical laugh. "Everybody wants something from me, Vega, and I never forget that."

"What about me?"

"Hmm?" She turned to face him.

"What is it you think that _I_ want from you?"

"You?" She laughed again, but it seemed a little lighter than before, less cynical. "Vega, all you want is to get off. Even better, you want to make sure that _I_ get off while you're at it."

"Well, you've got me there," he said, grinning sheepishly and knocking his drink back in one last swallow. Aria reached over and took the empty glass, setting it aside as she stood. She offered him a hand and he took it.

"Fuck, I think that may be the fairest trade I've made this century." Her laughter followed her as closely as Vega did when they headed for her private rooms.


	2. Two

"This is taking too long."

"Well, there happen to be quite a lot of enemy birds in the air Mr. Vega," Cortez called back to him. "If _you'd_ rather try to dodge all of this hostile fire and bring us in to the drop zone intact, you're welcome to take over."

Vega blinked. He hadn't even realized he'd spoken his complaint out loud.

"Uh uh," Alenko piped up before Vega could get out a response. "I saw what Vega did with this thing on Mars. No way I'm letting him near the controls on this run." He smiled to take the sting out of it and Vega gave him a tentative smile back. Shepard chuckled a little and even Garrus seemed to be smiling. Maybe. Was still kind of hard to tell with Scars.

"Yeah, no, I'm good," Vega said, leaning his head back against the wall. "Don't mind me Esteban, you know I just get restless when I don't have anything to point my gun at." He could hear Cortez laugh and he let himself smile a little too as his eyes slid closed and he tried to just focus on the task ahead.

_Don't know why I'm thinking about Aria right now. I doubt she's thinking about_ me _, wherever she is_.

Yet even as he chided himself for letting his mind wander, he found his thoughts drifting once more...

Vega didn't even think she _liked_ him, particularly. But she sure didn't mind slipping off somewhere quiet with him for a few hours whenever Shepard brought them round to the Citadel. A small, smug part of him knew that meant he was doing _something_ right. Still, Aria didn't do overnight parties. Not with him, anyway. She was pretty clear that she didn't owe him anything and he was equally sure she wasn't expecting anything from him.  It's not like they could have established rules or anything when they'd only ever had one or two instances that passed for actual conversation.

Return customer or not (and he wasn't sure whether that description applied to her or to _himself_ ), what they were doing was only personal in the most technical sense. Like Aria had said, it was about getting off, not getting to know each other.  Hell, she wasn't even available every time he managed to pop in to the club. She most definitely had her own damn life. So sometimes he found himself making other...arrangements.

There had been Mel, that chick who had been so confused as to why her squad mates were uncomfortable about her crashing "boys' night." Vega would have felt bad for her if she hadn't barreled right over her friend's half-hearted objections to her joining them. He'd gotten to the club right after Mel's arrival and accidentally overheard the start of the conversation. He'd been curious how deep a hole Mel's friend could dig for himself and so had hung back to listen to the rest, pretending to check out a poster for Kanala Exports. They were having a sale on fish. He made a mental note to tell Lola about that later.

Vega had a hard time not cracking up as the guy tried to find a polite way to explain why he and his buddies hadn't included her without saying "you're a woman," which in the end was what he had to go with anyway. Vega rolled his eyes, having already resolved to step in and provide a distraction if things went south. No point in letting shore leave get fucked up by a fight between squad mates, let alone letting the squad dynamic get screwed because certain members of the team were too juvenile to treat everyone the same just because one of them had a different set of plumbing.

Of course, then she went and started talking about infiltrator tits and he almost lost his shit. It was enough to knock the other guy off his balance and get him to realize what a pendejo he was being. She'd made her point though and Vega watched them from the corner of his eye with an approving smile as they headed for the bar. After a few moments he headed that way too, pausing to glance at Aria as he passed her lounge. She was holding full court, though, and was surrounded by a bunch of grizzly mercs. He paused for a beat, wondering if he should even bother trying to catch her attention, and then she looked his way. Just for a moment, then she gave a brief shake of her head. Her meaning was clear. _Not tonight._ Vega gave a quick nod and shoved his hands in his pockets, finally making his way to the bar.

He ordered a round for Mel and her team, declining the bartender's offer to point him out when the drinks were delivered. Then he got a drink of his own and noticed Joker and EDI waving him over to their table. He moved to join them, smiling as he heard an exclamation of approval from the marines in the other corner when their unexpected free drinks arrived. 

Hanging out with Joker and EDI was certainly an...interesting experience. They were fun enough, but Vega found himself feeling like a bit of a third wheel and wishing Esteban had been up for getting off the ship. He still stayed in too often for Vega's liking when they visited the station.

After a few hours he was about done and he made his way over to the bar to close out his tab, leaving his ship mates to their increasingly bizarre game of whether or not they'd nail various galactic public figures. Those two were...something. He shook his head to get the image of the salarian council member in compromising positions out of his brain and waited for the bartender to notice him. He was surprised to find Mel at the bar too, only getting a single beer.

"Just one?" He indicated the corner where she and the rest of her team had camped out. She glanced over at him and gave him the once over. Must have seen something she liked because she shot him a wicked grin before answering.

"Yeah, those guys can't hold their alien liquor, apparently." She waved her bottle in the general direction of the rest of her team. "They're so excited to be on shore leave they overdid it right from the start." She crossed her arms and pouted. "We didn't even get to see any dancers." She gave him another look, up and down, real slow, and he noticed, not for the first time that night, that she was pretty damn cute. "Don't suppose _you_ know where I might find some asari dancers...?"

"James," he said, answering the question she'd left hanging. He stuck out a hand and she took it, giving it a firm shake.

"Mel," she replied, and then leaned back, waiting.

"Might be I know a place," Vega said after a minute, returning to her real question.

"Excellent!" Her face lit up with a smile. The bartender came by and he closed out his tab while Mel watched impatiently. She did the same and set her almost full bottle back on the bar. "Let's get out of here!" She grabbed his arm, threading hers through it, and steered them towards the exit. Vega glanced back over his shoulder towards her abandoned team mates.

"What about your friends?"

"They're big boys," she laughed, "they can take care of themselves."

They _did_ go find some asari dancers. Vega took her to a club in the wards that he had found on his first ever Citadel shore leave. Mel really did seem to enjoy herself, although by that point they were both refraining from anything alcoholic anymore. She confided that she just loved how _elegant_ asari were, even when what they were doing was kind of dirty. He laughed at that but couldn't disagree. After a while he could see she was flagging and figured it was time to call it a night, for real this time. Mel didn't argue, but she _did_ insist he walk her to the room she'd rented for her leave.

"Just to make sure I don't get lost," she insisted, but he caught a hint of another wicked grin as she turned away and led him out of the club. He probably could have turned her down, probably _should_ have. But hell, either one of them could die on the next mission, and better to go with a few happy memories than a lot of pent up sexual frustration, he always figured.

She was staying at a cheap place that mostly catered to soldiers on leave. It was shabby, but clean. As small as the rooms were, they were more space than most had on their ships. There was a lot to be said for having a room and a bathroom all to yourself for even a couple of days. Or sharing it, if that was _your_ choice.

"You sure?" He asked when she invited him in, rubbing the back of his neck and pretending that he didn't notice the way she was looking at him. It was _almost_ enough to make him blush. He wondered if it was the ink or the muscles that had her so appreciative. It was usually one or the other, he'd learned. Mel made a dismissive noise and opened the door, stepping inside. She turned around and leaned against the frame, keeping it from sliding shut behind her.

"I'm a little buzzed, but I'm not too wasted to know what I'm doing James. I'd rather not be alone tonight, but hey, if you're not up for it, that's cool. I can take care of myself." That wicked grin again. This time he answered with one of his own.

"Well, when you put it that way, how can I say no?" She chuckled and took a step back, Vega following her. He put a hand on her hip and pulled her to him for a kiss as the door shut behind them.

Mel returned the kiss eagerly and then stepped back out of his grip before Vega was ready for it to end, making up for it by pulling her shirt off and tossing it in the corner. She paused for a moment, giving him time to appreciate her curves in the dim lighting that had come on when they entered the room. Then she removed her dog tags as well. They sailed across the room to join her shirt and she arched a questioning eyebrow at him as she began to undo her pants.

_No rank here, not tonight. Good._

He nodded his agreement and his shirt and tags were quickly added to the pile. It took longer than it could have for them to divest themselves of the rest of their clothing. Vega paused to pull Mel in for another kiss in between shucking his boots and his pants. She giggled at his eagerness, her giggles turning into a sigh as he moved his mouth down her neck in a series of quick kisses and nips. He couldn't help but touch her, one hand carding through her hair while the other grazed the swell of her breast, the hollow of her waist, the top of her ass.

"Damn," she panted, "let's at least finish getting undressed first!" She pushed him away, playfully, grinning to soften it, and then tried to take a step back, getting tangled in her own pants and starting to fall. Vega reacted quickly enough to catch her, but it threw him off his balance and before he could compensate they hit the floor. Instinct and training kicked in enough for him to wrap his arms around her and roll so that he took the brunt of the impact and they lay there in a tangle for a few moments. Vega was trying to catch his breath from the double whammy of the fall and the once more giggling soldier that had come down on top of him. She started to calm down and he turned his head to meet her eyes, which set her off giggling again. He gave her an answering chuckle. _Okay, we might both still be a bit buzzed._

"I promise, this usually goes a lot more smoothly," he said after a moment. She smiled and rolled off of him, then moved in and kissed him. It was sweet, but there was still a lot of hunger behind it. He cupped her cheek and smiled into the kiss.

"Usually, huh?" She pulled back and grinned toothily, watching as he tried to find a good way to answer that, realizing he had walked right into the question. Before he could say anything she kissed him again. "Let's move this to the bed, then, and you can show me just how _not_ clumsy you are, James."

He smiled a little sheepishly and they sat up, returning to the process of undressing with renewed vigor. _I_ do _manage to find the women who like to take control, don't I?_ He shook his head at the thought, amused at the realization. It sure as hell hadn't always been that way. He wondered when it had changed. An image of Lola flashed into his mind and he thought maybe he didn't want to think too hard about the destination of _that_ particular train of thought.

He pushed off his underwear last and looked up to find Mel stretched out on the bed, grinning at him with open appreciation. The sight was enough to make him forget his introspective line of thought completely and pull him back into the here and now. He answered Mel's smile and joined her on the bed, hovering over her as they kissed again. She tugged him in and he lowered himself onto her, relishing the feel of skin against skin.

She wrapped her legs around him and pulled him in even closer as he traced her jaw with his tongue, working up to an earlobe. She moaned when he sucked on it and jerked her hips when he bit down lightly. He sat back on his haunches, taking a moment for his own turn at appreciating his partner's form. Mel reached up, placing her hands on his chest, then running them down his sides, her fingertips skating through the edges of the curly hair at his groin, her hands finally coming to rest on his thighs.

Vega bent down and captured a nipple in his mouth, Mel groaning and arching into the sensation as he sucked it in. He traced a finger around her other nipple and then moved over to give it attention as well, his hand snaking down her body as he did so. He slipped two fingers into her folds, already slippery from excitement, and began to work them in and out slowly, teasingly, enjoying the sounds this brought from her. He circled her clit with his thumb, keeping the motions light, still teasing, compensating when she began bucking her hips, trying to increase the pressure, to take his fingers deeper.

Mel reached up and grabbed his face, pulling him up from her breasts into another kiss, this one sloppy and desperate and full of tongue. Her hands fell away as he lost himself in kissing her, his hand slipping out of her to resume touching her everywhere else, ghosting along her legs, torso, arms, and neck while holding himself up with the other hand. She responded to the touches in kind, tracing along his body, running fingers through his hair, lightly stroking the hard length of his erection, keeping up with the teasing he had started.

His mouth drifted back to her neck, licking at her pulse as she turned her head, sighing in delight. He heard her fumbling for something in the small bedside table. The next moment she slipped something into his hand and he felt the familiar outlines of a condom wrapper. Her message was clear enough, _let's get on with this, shall we?_

"Okay, okay," he grumbled playfully, sitting back up to roll the condom down onto himself. He met her eyes and she stretched underneath him, grinning lazily, her eyes catching the low light just enough to sparkle with anticipation. Vega smiled back and eased down on her again, reaching down to line himself up and slowly sliding inside. Mel moaned as he filled her and she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down completely. He rested his forehead on hers for a moment and then she bucked her hips again, urging him to move. The motion sent sparks shooting throughout his body and he complied with her request.

He tried to set a steady pace, wanting to take his time, but it didn't last for very long. Mel wrapped her legs around him again and urged him to go faster, harder, deeper. The room filled with their panting and Vega lost himself in the sensation of being buried inside of Mel, of being skin to skin, chest to chest, of kissing her, and tangling his hands in her hair. He moved a hand between them, circling a finger around her clit, moving it in time with their rocking, bringing her to orgasm, basking in her cries of delight and her nails raking down his back as he came shortly after.

She held him close for a few moments more after they had finished before eventually beginning to relax fully, letting her legs go limp and releasing him. Vega rolled over and stumbled to the bathroom, disposing of the condom and cleaning up a bit. Mel beckoned him back to the bed and he joined her as quickly as his legs would carry him.

"Mmm," Mel purred, pulling him for another long kiss. "Now _that's_ how you spend shore leave."

"Can't say I disagree with you there," he answered with a laugh.

They curled up together in the bed, enjoying the feel of each other's skin. She asked if he would stay for the night and he agreed readily enough. As fun as his nights with Aria were, they never included actually sleeping together, and he rather liked that part. Mel hit a switch on the wall by the bed and the low lighting went out completely. As they drifted off to sleep, Mel traced the lines on his body. _Muscles then_ , he thought to himself, only half awake.

"You've seen battle," she said in a quiet tone. He resurfaced a little and realized she had mostly been tracing his scars.

"Haven't we all?" These days there weren't a lot of soldiers sitting on the sidelines. Everyone was needed somewhere, be it for evacuation, protection of posts that couldn't be abandoned, or actually taking the fight to those fucking bugs.

"Well yeah, but," he realized her quietness was something more than encroaching sleep. There was a tinge of awe, or maybe just respect, in it, "these are old. You were fighting before the Reapers ever showed up, weren't you?" She must be on her first tour. Hell of a way to kick off a career in the service.

"Never really was one to avoid the front lines," he told her. She snuggled in to him and huffed a sigh into his neck. He pulled her a little closer, and they fell asleep like that.

He woke to dim light creeping into his senses. There weren't any windows in the room, of course, but Mel must have set the controls to simulate sunrise. It was a nicer way to wake up than to a blaring alarm. She was still fast asleep, curled into his side. He sat up carefully so as not to wake her and stretched before standing and shuffling blearily to the bathroom. After emptying his bladder, he splashed some water on his face and cupped some into his mouth to rinse it out a bit, bemoaning the lack of his toothbrush. _Not that I'm gonna complain though,_ he thought, giving his stubble a cursory glance in the mirror. _A night like that is more than worth some bad morning breath._

"There's an extra toothbrush in the toiletry kit under the sink," Mel called sleepily from the next room. Vega opened up the small cabinet and found it easily, grinning at his reflection. _Of course,_ not _having bad morning breath is even better._

"Thanks," he said as he stepped back into the room. Mel grumbled something unintelligible but friendly sounding as she passed him, stepping into the bathroom to take her own turn at morning ablutions. He looked at the closed door for a minute and then stretched again, enjoying the sense of relaxation he knew would not last for too much longer. After another moment he headed over to the corner and was bending down to start sorting his clothes out from Mel's when he heard the bathroom door slide open again.

"You don't have to go already, do you?" He turned to find her leaning against the doorframe, marginally more awake and still completely naked. The look of disappointment on her face was at odds with the adorable rumpled state of her hair. She bit her bottom lip, actually pouting at him.

"I, uh, I probably should get back soon," he glanced at the clock on the wall, trying to avoid the deepened pout. Coming to a decision, he looked back at her, "but I've probably got another hour or so, now that I come to think of it." The grin that lit up her face at that transformed her from adorable to flat out sexy and he crossed the distance between them in a heartbeat, pressing their bodies together and kissing her deeply.

"Mmm," she said, leaning back against the wall to catch her breath. "Good, good. Nothing beats morning sex for waking up right, you know?" She ran her hands down his chest, around his waist and cupped his ass, bringing their hips together. His cock twitched, taking a definite interest in the proceedings.

"You are absolutely right about that," he declared, stealing a quick kiss and pulling her back over to the bed. She laughed and pushed him down, climbing on top of him.

Mel began tracing her tongue along the planes of his muscles, paying special attention to each of his scars, coming up for a quick kiss in between each one. He reached his hands up to her and she slapped them back down to the bed. So he fisted them in the blanket instead, groaning when she took him in hand and began stroking firmly, bringing him fully erect.

She grabbed another condom and rolled it on him, leaning in for one more kiss before sinking down on him in one swift motion. Vega bucked and gave a wordless shout, his eyes sliding closed as he drank in the feel of her surrounding him. He heard her laugh again, low and sultry, nothing like the giggles of last night, and he twitched inside of her.

She linked her fingers through his and began to move, riding him until they both found completion. He opened his eyes and watched her, reveling in the pleasure she took from him. She grinned down at him when she was done and gave him a conspiratorial wink. Before she could climb off him, he slipped his fingers out of hers and sat up, lacing his hands behind her head and pulling her in for a kiss of his own. It was long, deep, lazy and exploratory, leaving them both gasping for air and grinning at each other like fools.

"Best. Start. To the day. Ever." She told him as they pulled apart.

"Sure beats coffee," Vega replied.

"Mmhmm," she told him. "You can have the shower first, if you want. The guys won't be up until at least noon. I think I might laze around a bit before I go drag them back to Purgatory."

"Thanks," Vega said, heading that way and shaking his head in awe at her resilience. _Guess she really meant it about enjoying her shore leave._ She had pulled her underwear back on and was reading in bed when he came out of the bathroom. The rest of her clothes were still tangled up with his own in the corner.

"Here, let me help," she said as he began to sort through them to retrieve his own. She handed him his underwear and he snagged his pants. Once he had donned those he turned to look for his shirt and noticed that Mel had gone very quiet. She was staring at a set of dog tags in her hand. "Vega," she said softly, looking up and extending the tags to him.

"Um, yeah," he said awkwardly as he took them from her and slid them over his head.

"As in Lieutenant Vega of the Normandy. As in one of Commander _Shepard's_ crew."

"Well, yeah..." he trailed off, surprised she had heard of _him_ with everything else going on. Aria knowing who he was, that was one thing. It was her business to know that kind of shit. But anyone else.... Mel was staring at him and he couldn't decipher her expression. Her whole face had gone serious, lips pursed and eyebrows drawn together. The way she studied him was starting to make him a little uncomfortable. _Well this sucks. Way to ruin a perfectly pleasant encounter just by being me._ He sighed and turned, spying his shirt and grabbing it up. He pulled it on and was almost bowled over the second his head popped through the top hole. Mel had embraced him in a tight hug.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"Um, sure, no problem," he answered, patting her shoulder lamely in confusion. "I mean, thank _you_. We both had fun, right?"

"Not that!" She loosened her grip and laughed, punching him lightly in the shoulder. She smiled and shook her head, all of the tension draining from the room with that gesture. Vega let out a sigh of relief. "Yeah, we did. I just...you weren't kidding about being on the front lines, huh?" She laughed again. "You guys are out there taking it to the Reapers, and, well, thanks. It's appreciated, okay?" She looked away, embarrassed.

"Oh. Well. Um, thanks." He shrugged. "Somebody has to do it." She nodded, still not looking at him. He could feel the awkwardness creeping back in. "I should get going." He turned for the door. She put a hand on his arm and he turned back to face her. She smiled again, a more serious smile this time, and it suited her, somehow. She gave him a final kiss, just a quick peck on the cheek.

"Yeah. Just. Be careful out there James."

"You too." She nodded and he left, making his way back to the Normandy. As strangely as that tryst had ended, he still remembered it pretty fondly. It had been a _hell_ of a good time before that last bit, after all. He couldn't help but wish, later, that he had thought to ask Mel's last name.

It bugged him, not being able to check the lists and make sure she was still alive. There weren't enough people in the galaxy like her.


	3. Three

The Kodiak shuddered as Cortez dodged what sounded like a harvester. With his eyes closed in the back, James listened while the pilot cursed about the creature coming out of nowhere and then hurried to reassure the Commander that everything was fine and it wouldn't happen again.

He tried to focus on his breathing, but his mind kept going back, maybe trying to distract him from dwelling on what was certain to be a nasty fight to come. Aria and Mel hadn't been the only ones who'd helped him work off the stress of fighting the impending doom of the galaxy.

_If my abuela knew about what I've been up to these past few months, she'd have a few choice words to say to me..._

Because there had also been Jack. Granted, he'd only seen her briefly when the Normandy had pulled her off of Grissom Academy along with a handful of biotic students. Later though, he'd bumped into her on the Citadel while he was getting his N7 tattoo, after Lola had finally called him on the flirting he would never make good on.

Jack had wandered in, apparently looking to pick up some new ink of her own, and she'd settled in to wait until he was done. She gave him a nod of recognition which he returned, and then she fired up a tablet and stared at it with intense displeasure. He thought he heard her mutter something about duty rosters under her breath. She was definitely the most interesting thing to look at in the hold, so after a while, Vega found himself watching her surreptitiously as the batarian worked on his back.

"See something you like, Vega?" Jack asked after a while, her eyes never leaving her tablet.

"Maybe," he quipped, smirking. "Maybe I'm just trying to figure out where you're going to fit something new in. There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of space available." She rolled her eyes at that and then looked up, arching an eyebrow at him.

"That really the best you can come up with?"

"Nah. I'm just not particularly keen on getting my head ripped off for checking out a pretty girl," he said, deciding that bold was probably the better way to go. Jack rolled her eyes once more and shut off her tablet.

"You have really got to get some better material," she told him, shaking her head. He was encouraged by the lack of punching. Before he could reply the batarian set down his needle and took a step back, eyeing his work.

"You must take care of this," he began, but Vega interrupted him.

"Yeah, yeah, I know the routine." The batarian heaved a sigh and then went through the final clean up. Vega smiled when he caught Jack peeking at the new tattoo before it was covered up.

"You joining the Girl Scouts?" She asked, smirking, and the smile fell from Vega's face.

"Excuse me?"

"N7, that's Shepard's thing. Queen of the Girl Scouts. You gonna be her protégé? Or maybe you just wanna be president of the fan club?" Vega narrowed his eyes at her but he didn't feel any real malice behind the words so he decided to let them slide.

"Alliance wants me in N7, I decided I do too," he slid his shirt over his head, holding back a wince at the pull in his newly sore muscles. "I won't pretend I don't think it's lucky I get Lola for a training officer." Jack tilted her head and looked at him for a long moment, eyes narrowed again and lips pursed.

"Lola, huh?"

Vega shrugged.

"Suits her better," he answered.

"Whatever." Jack moved to take over his recently vacated seat. She powered up her tablet again, pulling up a new screen and handing it to the batarian. "Think you can handle that?" He looked it over.

"It is simple enough. Where?"

Jack indicated a thin strip of bare flesh on her arm and the batarian nodded. She handed him a credit chit and he processed her payment, then prepared his tools and set to work. It wasn't a complicated tattoo, just a few names and a date that Vega recognized as the day the Normandy had pulled her off of Grissom. He guessed the names were of the students that hadn't made it off the station but didn't think she'd appreciate it if he asked.

Still, he was enjoying the verbal sparring, and the view, and Jack hadn't really rebuffed him for sort of hitting on her. So he found himself hanging around to talk to her while she was the one under the needle. He asked how her students were doing and was amused by the pride she clearly took in them, even if they were "only" filling a support role. She asked after Shepard, clearly wanting to make sure the woman had reliable people watching her back.

"You really think an Alliance crew is gonna be less trustworthy than one fucking _Cerberus_ put together?" He was surprised at the implication, considering what he knew of Jack's own history with the organization. She snorted at the question.

"Cerberus didn't put that crew together." Vega started to object but she kept speaking. "The Illusive Man might have handed Shepard a few dossiers, but she's the one who recruited us, and _she's_ the one we followed. Even the head cheerleader was behind Shepard by the end of our run. God damned _Alliance_ ," she spat the word out and Vega sat up a little straighter in surprise at the vehemence in her voice, "never had her back about the Reapers. How many times did she try to tell them what was coming? Did they ever listen? No."

She grunted as the batarian finished her tattoo and began cleaning it, clearly trying to stay out of the conversation. Though Vega noted he was listening avidly. He sighed, but it wasn't a secret that Lola had been trying to warn everyone about the Reapers for years. He supposed the details of what they said getting out wouldn't cause too much damage. Still, he made a mental note to have someone trustworthy keep an eye on the guy for a while.

"So yeah," Jack said as she stood and examined her new tattoo, "I trust our crew over one the Alliance put together. Any day. If the Alliance had had her back in the first place, she never would have had to work with Cerberus. Probably wouldn't be having this conversation." She turned to the batarian and asked, "That it?"

"There is the care," he started again, but she too cut him off.

"Yeah yeah, I know the drill. Thanks." She turned to go, cocking her head at Vega, "You wanna get out of here?" His eyebrows made a valiant attempt to reach his hairline.

"Sure."

"Cool. Oh, wait. One thing first." Without warning she was surrounded by a glow of biotic energy, and she turned back to the batarian, grabbing a handful of his shirt and pinning him against the wall. "Just so we're clear. I hear one word of this conversation getting out, and believe me, I'll hear, you _will_ regret it. Understand?"

"Of-of course," the batarian stammered. "I maintain a strict policy of discretion for my clients. You have no worries. I swear it."

"Good." She released her energy and gave him a toothy smile, letting go of his shirt and patting him on the cheek. Then she turned back to Vega. "Come on, take a girl dancing. I need to blow off some steam."

"You've got it," he told her, falling in to trail her to the elevator. He chuckled to himself, wondering if dancing was all she had in mind. He thought back to their conversation and stopped, pulling her off to the side. "For what it's worth, this _is_ a good crew. It's, well, it's mostly the people she had under Cerberus and before. And the rest of us, well. We've seen what the Reapers can do. We know Shepard's the key to stopping them. We _do_ have her back."

"Glad to hear it," she answered.

They resumed their progress toward the elevator and were about halfway there when Vega's omni-tool signaled he had an urgent message. He gave Jack an apologetic look and stopped to answer it.

"Vega?"

"Lola?"

"You done with that tattoo yet?"

"Uh, yeah, what can I do for you?"

"I need you to get back to the ship ASAP. Alliance has picked up a distress call and Hackett wants us to handle it. We leave in an hour."

"I thought it was going to take a day or two to get all of our supplies restocked?"

"It will. But the mission isn't far. We've got enough to get there and back, and we'll make a return trip to pick up the rest after we're done. Sorry to cut your shore leave short, but--"

"But there's a war on, yeah. Headed your way now."

"Good. Shepard out." She cut the connection from her end and Vega looked up to meet Jack's eyes. She was frowning.

"Well damn," she crossed her arms over her chest, "there go my plans for the rest of the night." He suddenly found himself _very_ disappointed that he wasn't going to find out what those plans had been. He gave her a sheepish grin.

"Rain check?" He was only half joking.

"Hmph." She stood there, arms still crossed, looking around the area, clearly dissatisfied. Then she grabbed his wrist and started dragging him along. "Come on."

"Where--?"

"Don't ask stupid questions Vega. Shepard said an hour. That gives us a few minutes." She led him into an alley filled with crates. It was dark and empty. With everyone and everything crowded into the level, there were still a surprising amount of spots like that in the Holding Area. Good for anyone looking for a quiet place to have a conversation, or conduct a shady deal, or...

... _or have a little private one on one time_ , he thought as Jack pushed him against a wall and kissed him, their teeth clacking together from the force of it. He winced at the pressure on his new ink, but the sensation faded quickly as Jack's tongue slid into his mouth. He brought his hands up to touch her, running them up her back, enjoying all of the skin there to be felt, soft and warm. She chuckled into his mouth and he could feel her grin as she pulled away.

"Yeah, it really is too bad for you I don't do rain checks."

"Just my luck," he sighed, trying for wistful and falling short of the mark, unable to keep a straight face. He cupped her neck in one hand and pulled her in for another kiss. She wormed a hand between them and rubbed it along the bulge at his groin, working a groan out of Vega. He knew he should break this off and get going, but Jack was making a very persuasive nonverbal argument for him to stay right where he was. He traced the tops of her breasts, wishing he could get her out of what little clothing she was wearing to see all of her inked glory. The hand at her neck rose to play with her ponytail.

"Yeah. I almost feel bad for you," she murmured. "But maybe I can do something to make up for it. At least a little." She nipped at his lip and then slid down him, settling on the ground and undoing his fly. His eyes glazed over with lust and he watched her slip his cock out of his pants and then lean forward, pressing her lips to the very tip. Her tongue appeared, swirling around the head, and he groaned again as she licked her way down the exposed length of him, then back up.

Vega tried to say something, but words utterly failed him. He ran one finger around the outer edge of her unadorned ear. She smirked and then took him in her mouth, sliding down as far as she could get with him in his current position. She splayed one hand against his stomach, under his shirt, and wrapped the other around his cock. She began to slide her mouth up and down, her hand matching the movements in a firm grip. Her tongue swirled around him, and she paused at the head to suck, hard. He dropped his head back, letting his eyes drift closed, and threaded the fingers of one hand through hers on his stomach. The other hand rested on her cheek, lightly, not exerting any pressure, letting her set the pace.

Her pace was quick and rough, and it felt amazing. He panted heavily as he felt the tide of orgasm approach, straining not to buck into her mouth. He gripped her hand tightly as he came, biting his lip to hold back a scream at his release. She laughed at his attempts to control his movements and he could feel the vibrations shoot through his whole damn body. Jack sat back after she finished, licking her lips and tucking him back into his pants. She laughed again and stood, leaning forward to give him a quick kiss. Just a peck this time.

"Fuck," he whispered, meeting her eyes. "I really wish I had time to thank you properly for that."

"Just keep an eye on the Girl Scout for me, okay?" She took his hand again, giving it a brief squeeze, and pulled him away from the wall, turning him in the direction of the exit. "Now get going," she slapped him on the ass, "you've got a galaxy to help save." He looked back over his shoulder and she shooed him on, so he turned forward and headed back to the Normandy, his mind quite busy imagining what might have been if he'd had more time.

They were back at the Citadel less than a week later, and picking up the rest of their supplies. Vega didn't even bother to disembark. Lola only wanted to stay for a few hours, so people were only getting off the ship if they had things to buy or quick meetings with friends on the station. He thought about seeking out Aria, but he knew he didn't really have time for that. So instead he stayed in the shuttle bay, trading remarks with Esteban who had stayed on board to repair the Kodiak after its latest outing. He heard a clang and then a muttered curse and couldn't resist teasing the other man, just a little.

"You know Esteban, if you learned to fly that thing right, you wouldn't have to patch it up every time we get back from a mission." He pulled his chin up above the bar and hung there for a second, waiting. Sure enough, he heard a faint laugh drift over from the other side of the bay.

"As opposed to how _you_ fly her, Mr. Vega?" Cortez called out in return. He laughed again and Vega smiled. It was good to hear Esteban's laughter again. No one could fault him for the serious turn his mood had taken, but Vega missed how he had been before. He reminded himself to buy Lola a drink sometime, in thanks for whatever she had said to his friend to help him get back to being himself.

"Hey, I never said _I_ was the example you should be following in that particular area." Vega called back, biting back a laugh of his own. They both knew that Cortez was one of the best, and that if he wasn't, there'd be a lot less of the Kodiak to patch up after every mission. Cortez went back to his repairs and Vega resumed his pull-ups, wondering which race Lola would decide to save next in order to get them into the fight with the Reapers. From there his thoughts drifted to his aborted shore leave and wondering if Jack was still on the Citadel. They'd only been away a couple of days, after all.

He heard her coming, but only just barely. Her footsteps were only slightly louder than that damn humming that no one else seemed to hear. Vega didn't pay much attention at first, lots of people came through this part of the ship. Lots of 'em walked quietly. He just continued doing his pull-ups on the bar, assuming whoever it was would speak up if they needed something from him. After a few minutes though he could feel a prickling in between his shoulders and he sensed someone watching him. It couldn't be Esteban, Vega could still hear the sound of his blowtorch as he worked on the Kodiak. He slowed in his repetitions, up down up down up down becoming up down up, down, up, down and stop. Vega dropped to the ground and turned, his smartass remark dying in his throat as he found Jack leaning up against a pile of crates, a smirk of her own as she took in his surprise at seeing her.

"Hey." He tried not to wince at his uncreative greeting.

"Hey," she answered. "Heard the Normandy was docked again for a pit stop. Didn't really get to look around much on the trip from Grissom, wrangling the kids and all. Thought I'd poke around a bit, see what's new." She gave him a sly smile and he knew she wasn't just talking about the ship.

"Alliance didn't really have time to change much," Vega shrugged, "mostly they were in the middle of just bringing her up to code." He snagged a towel from his work bench and swiped at the back of his neck, wiping up the sweat from his exercise. "I'm sure you saw the lovely mess in what used to be the armory." She laughed at that.

"Yeah." She peered around and then turned back to him, crossing her arms and adopting a casual pose. "So...you feel like finishing what we started the last time you were here?" She pitched the question softly, dropping her normal volume considerably, mindful of Cortez on the other side of the bay. Vega was surprised in more ways than one. He wouldn't have thought she'd care about discretion. Or about his desire for it.

"I thought you didn't take rain checks?" He kept his tone light, an easy grin on his face, suspecting that, as with Aria, if he didn't play this just right she'd withdraw the offer without a second's thought.

"Normally don't." She rolled her shoulders and then casually examined her fingernails, picking at something invisible caught underneath the edge of one. "But I'm bored and you said something about repayment, if memory serves." She met his eyes then, a wicked gleam in them that shot a bolt of heat straight to his groin.

"That I did," Vega grinned at her, then frowned thoughtfully, looking around. There weren't a lot of places on the ship that were really good for this kind of liaison, and getting caught here was a whole different world of trouble from getting caught in a back alley on the Citadel. Fortunately Jack seemed to have a solution to the conundrum ready.

"Took a quick tour, noticed that no one's using the subdeck these days. Come on." She grinned at him and then turned on her heel, leading the way to the elevator. Vega thought about letting Esteban know he was leaving, but the other man seemed engrossed in the Kodiak, and calling attention to his exit with Jack would probably invite a lot more questions than just slipping away, so he stayed silent as he followed her.

Once inside the elevator, Jack grabbed Vega's shirt and slammed him against the back wall, just like she had with the batarian. Only this time there was less threatening and more kissing. Their teeth clacked together as she kissed him and then thrust her tongue into his mouth. He folded her in his arms and pulled her closer, deepening the kiss, but softening it as well. He could feel her smile against his lips and then she pulled away, stepping out of his arms and the elevator just as the door slid open to let them out on Engineering. Out into the corridor, a quick turn and through one more door, then down a flight of stairs into the bowels of the ship.

Vega was impressed by how at ease Jack seemed down here. Not many people came down to the subdeck unless they needed to grab something from the supplies that were crammed here. He could swear the humming was louder here, too, but decided against asking if Jack heard it.

She kissed him again, this time wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing herself completely against him, not nearly as forceful as she had been moments ago. He noticed a cot in the corner and a few pieces of the puzzle fell into place for him. Sparks had mentioned something once about Jack keeping to herself when she'd been part of the crew. This must have been where she'd made her quarters. No wonder she knew it would be a good place for some privacy. He chuffed a soft laugh into her mouth and then steered her to the cot. She didn't object.

He moved her back until her legs hit the cot and then reached down for her belt, slowly undoing the buckle. He looked up and raised an eyebrow at her in question. She rolled her eyes and shrugged out of her jacket, then began unfastening her top. Vega returned to his own task and got her pants open as well, noticing with a smile when Jack's top hit the floor next to her jacket. He glanced up, taking in her naked torso, his eyes following the lines of ink that decorated so much of her body. Such a story those markings must tell.

He ran his hands up from her waist, tracing the ink along her stomach and up to her breasts, cupping them lightly. He pinched her nipples gently and she sucked in quick breath, her eyes sliding halfway closed. He continued playing with her nipples for a minute, massaging her breasts as well, and then continued sliding his hands upward to rest on her shoulders. He pressed down on them, and her eyes reopened. For the briefest second there was a hint of hesitation in her eyes but it was gone before Vega was even sure he'd seen it. _So maybe not_ quite _as cocky as she wants me to believe._

Jack smirked and sank down to sit on the cot, lying back as Vega silently directed. He knelt next to her feet, still planted on the floor, and worked off her boots and socks, smiling in amusement at the black polish on her toes, kissing the top of each foot before setting it back down. He slipped his fingers under the waist of her panties and began to tug but Jack reached down and grabbed his wrist.

"Cargo pocket, left leg." Vega raised an eyebrow but opened the indicated pocket. Jack dipped her hand in and fished something out, then pressed it into his hand.

"Ah. Good call," Vega said, looking down to find a condom. It was definitely thinking ahead on her part. _He_ certainly didn't walk around the ship with condoms on hand. Not that he would have had a problem if this particular encounter didn't end up going that far, but still. It was nice to know what was on the table, so to speak. He set it down within easy reach and then returned his hands to her waistband. Jack lifted her hips and he pulled off her pants and panties in one motion. She was bare of hair between her legs and he could smell her arousal. It made his cock twitch in his pants and his mouth water a little.

He stood up and leaned down to kiss her again, one hand holding himself up while the other caressed each breast in turn, then slid down her stomach and around the side to rest on her hip. Jack reached up a hand to wrap around his neck, pulling him in closer and carding her fingers through the short hair there. Her kisses were more passionate than fierce now, deep and slow. She ran a hand down his chest and made a disgusted sound, pushing him up a little and scrabbling at his shirt to pull it off. Vega smiled and helped her, tossing the shirt next to her own clothing. He made to remove his tags too but she stopped him, her hand closing over his around the metal.

"You can leave those on." She pulled him back in for another kiss and his hand drifted back to her hip, his thumb idly tracing circles over the bone. She moaned underneath him and his cock twitched again.

He pulled his hand away from her hip again, bracing it on the cot as he slowly pulled away from her mouth, leaving a trail of kisses along her jaw and down her neck, licking a path around each breast, sucking each nipple into his mouth and swirling his tongue around it. Jack let out a pleased whimper and he smiled, continuing to lick his way downward, tracking the lines of her tattoos. When he got to her navel he dipped his tongue inside before continuing on his downward trek. Settling back on his knees, he placed his hands upon her thighs, pushing gently to spread them open. For a moment he just sat there, drinking in the sight of her sex, her legs open and inviting. A small smile played across his face as it struck him just what Jack was offering him. She was letting him have her trust, as well as her body, if only for a little while.

"Normandy's only docked for a couple of hours, Vega," she chided him after he had been still for a few minutes. "I don't think Shepard would be too pleased to find out I'm still on board after you've taken off."

"Doesn't mean there isn't time to do this right," he answered back with a laugh before leaning forward and blowing a soft breath across her folds. Jack shivered and made no further objections. Vega turned his head a fraction and very lightly licked at the crease where her leg met her body, across to the other side, and then back down. Jack shivered again.

He moved one hand, using his fingers to spread her folds open further and then slowly, reverently, began licking his way inside, feeling his tongue around her inner walls, tasting every bit of her that he could, savoring the musky salt taste that was _Jack_. He sighed in satisfaction as he set to the work of bringing her pleasure, an answering sigh coming from above him as her eyes slid closed at the sensations. Vega traced a finger of his other hand around the sensitive nub nestled in the folds and Jack twitched. He slid the finger inside of her, two more joining it, and began to thrust them in and out, his tongue moving up to probe at the nub, circling around it, pressing down on it, catching it in his mouth and sucking hard enough for her to buck up against him. He was ready for the movement and moved with her, not pausing in his ministrations.

He alternated the work of his fingers and mouth, drawing her out slowly, grinning into her as she moaned and shuddered her pleasure. He brought her to orgasm twice, delighting in her cries at completion, before she reached down to tug at his head. She pulled him up halfway and sat, meeting him, pressing their lips together in an unrestrained kiss. Her tongue worked its way around and within his mouth, licking up the traces of her own taste, he realized. Then her hands were at his belt, working his pants open.

"I need...please..." She was panting hard and Vega was impressed she'd gotten that much out. As worked up as he was, he didn't think he'd even get that far. He just kissed her softly and moved her hands aside, finishing the work of undoing his pants. He reached down and grabbed the condom, quickly tearing open the package and rolling it down the length of his newly freed erection. He didn't even bother taking his pants off completely, just pushing them down enough to be out of the way as Jack climbed up on his lap and seated herself firmly onto his cock.

He cried out wordlessly as she clenched around him and then she began to move, her hands on his neck pulling him forward, their mouths meeting briefly before she rested her forehead against his. Their chests pressed together, the metal of his dog tags cool in between their warmth. He placed his hands on her hips once more, helping to guide her movements and before long he was calling out his own release. Jack lifted herself enough to allow him to slip out of her and then slumped against him, head on his shoulders and arms limp around his neck.

"Mmm," she said after a moment. "Now that's the kind of 'thank you' I can get behind." Vega laughed into her neck, reaching up to toy idly with her ponytail. They sat like that for a few more moments before Jack sighed and stood, pulling her clothes back on without preamble. Vega pulled off the condom, digging around for a handkerchief to wrap it in and shoving it in his pocket to dispose of later. Then he pulled his own pants back up and fastened them, leaning back on his elbows to watch her dress. "Thanks Vega, you're a good time. I've gotta get going, but remember what I said about Shepard. Keep her safe, okay?"

"Of course," he answered. Jack bent down to place a quick kiss on his lips and then was gone without another word. He hung out in the subdeck for a little longer, giving her time to make her way off the ship, before donning his shirt again and heading straight to the showers to wash away the evidence of the encounter. Not the memory though. That he intended to keep for quite some time to come. 


	4. Four

His time with Mel and with Jack had definitely been memorable, but it was Aria he kept going back to. It was always Purgatory he stopped by first, and if she was available and willing, well, that was all there was to it. He hated to admit it, but he was finding himself looking more and more forward to each Citadel visit. He knew it was nothing, but damned if it wasn't _fun_ nothing. There was definitely enough stress going around the galaxy these days for mutual release to be a welcome thing.

There was also a lot of appeal in being with such a powerful partner. Vega wasn't too proud to admit how turned on he was by the knowledge that if he fucked up she could _end_ him without even breaking a sweat. She was perfectly willing to take control in the bedroom, so to speak, and he was surprised at how much he enjoyed just letting her be the one in charge. That wasn't normally his style. Well, it hadn't been before he'd joined the Normandy's crew. He didn't get off on being dominating, but usually he tended to take the lead, or he and his partner were at least on equal footing. With Aria though...there was no balance. She called the shots from start to finish. Sure, she gave him some leeway to explore, to find out what she liked, but there was no mistaking who was in charge throughout their encounters. If she told him to jump, he did, and usually ended up enjoying it more than he had expected to.

On one visit he was particularly fond of reliving during those lonely nights in his bunk, Vega had pinned Aria to the wall of her private room. She normally didn't let him get away with that kind of thing, but the second she had pulled him into the room he had grabbed her and pressed her back into the wall, needing the feel of another body against his too much to wait for her to decide what game they would play this time around. They were both riled up that night and kissed violently, fighting for control, even though he knew he would lose the fight. Aria wasn't one to relinquish power lightly in _any_ situation. A tryst with a human soldier hardly even entered the running. That didn't mean he would give up without a fight, though. Stubborn was in his blood, it was how he stayed alive. He was pretty sure that _was_ something Aria liked about him.

His hands were cupped around her face as he kissed her, his thumbs stroking her cheekbones. Aria kissed him back, shoving her tongue into his mouth and tangling it with his own. She leaned back into the wall, reaching her hands between them, keeping his body apart from hers for the time being, tracing her fingers lightly down his chest, catching the hem of his t-shirt and then sliding her hands underneath and back up.

She didn't try to remove his shirt right away, inclined to indulge in the kisses for the time being. She rubbed her hands up and down his chest and stomach for a bit before sliding them back down to his pants. She undid them just enough to get her hands in and slid them underneath the fabric, moving lightly around the back to grasp his ass. She gave it a firm squeeze and finally pulled him to her, crushing his pelvis against her own before rocking her hips. Vega let out a strangled groan, breaking off the kiss and leaning his forehead against Aria's, panting for a moment, catching his breath.

He leaned in for another kiss, one hand breaking away from her face to fondle a breast, then moving to flip open a few buckles, working his hand in, needing to feel skin. His other hand dropped to her neck, then her waist, thumbing at the already exposed skin waiting there. He sighed as he rubbed it lightly, closing his eyes and leaning his head against hers as she broke off the kiss this time.

The hair on his body standing on end and a soft crackle as she gathered energy were all the warning he had. Suddenly he found himself thrown backward, landing squarely on the couch, pushed there not with hands but with pure biotic energy.

"So that's how it's gonna go this time, huh?" It wasn't like it really ever went any other way, but she seemed to like it when he was playful. She was unlikely to let his breach of the rules go without retribution of some sort. He smirked, knowing that at least he was likely to enjoy said retribution. He rearranged his body into a more comfortable sprawl, waiting for the pounce. He knew it was coming, but her speed still took him by surprise every time. Before he could even begin to think up another smartass comment she was on him, tugging off his shirt and finishing her earlier start at undoing his fly, sliding him out of his pants and underwear. Boots and socks quickly followed. Once she had him naked she stood back and raked his body with an assessing gaze.  He slapped as cocky a grin on his face as he could muster up, knowing she was looking for weakness.

Apparently finding none, she nodded briefly and slowly began to divest herself of her own clothing. Vega's grin slipped into a slightly softer one, wider and full of appreciation, as he watched. Whatever test she had just put him through, he had managed to scrape out a pass. Every damn time with her, he felt like he was tested. Although he had to admit, he had yet to fail the test, and passing left him with a damn nice feeling. Also, sex.

"Just shut up and do what you're told, Vega," she said dryly, "and I'll make sure we have a good time."

"Yes ma'am."

She prowled over to him, coming to a stop between his legs. Aria bent over, placing her hands on his thighs and pushing them apart even more, catching him up in a ferocious kiss. She sucked his lower lip into her mouth, pulling back and taking it with her for a moment, caught between her teeth. Just shy of it becoming painful, she let go, dropping to her knees and smirking at the dazed look she received from Vega.

Aria T'Loak didn't kneel. She just _didn't_.

Yet...there she was, on the ground, in between his legs, and taking his cock into her mouth. Vega hissed and sucked in a breath as she swirled her tongue around the head and suckled him. It wasn't the first time she'd tasted him this way, but she had never knelt to do it. She had always made him work for the privilege before. She worked at him with hand and mouth for a few moments before pulling back, grinning like a predator that had its prey frozen in her sights. Vega might have been worried if he had actually been able to put a coherent string of thoughts together.

Aria sprang back to her feet and settled in on the opposite corner of the couch, legs curled up underneath herself. The look on her face was an intoxicating mixture of wicked and haughty and mischievous.

"I want to watch."

"You...what?" Vega fumbled to catch up with this new development.

"Make yourself come, Vega. I want to _watch_."

_Damn_. He couldn't think of a single instance where one of his partners had wanted him to put on a show. Yeah, he did his fair share of jacking off, but out of necessity it was never a big production. Even on the Normandy there wasn't a lot of private time. Just quick and dirty and hope that no one else wandered by before he was done. She was watching him expectantly, a gleam of hunger in her eyes, her lips turned up ever so slightly. She raised one tattooed eyebrow at him, _Well? What are you waiting for?_ He wondered briefly if he would ever stop feeling in over his head with Aria.

" _Fuck_ ," he whispered, taking himself in hand.

"Later," she promised, settling back to enjoy the view.

His eyes started to slide closed as he began the familiar motions, but he managed to stop himself. Instead, he locked his eyes with her, letting out a little grunt of vindication as her smile widened ever so slightly. Vega kept his eyes on Aria's face, watching her as he touched himself, imagining it was her hands bringing him off. His grip was a little bit lighter, compensating for her smaller hands, but not by much, taking her strength into account. He started out with a few lazy strokes, just finding a rhythm that would suit them both. It wasn't exactly his normal routine, but it wasn't like Aria would know that. Of course, he was pretty sure, from the gleam in her eyes, that she kind of did. She knew he was imagining that it was her hands on his cock.

He tried to keep up a steady pace, to take his time and give her the show it seemed like she wanted. But the way she was watching him was _intense_ and it seemed to speed up his path to orgasm. Occasionally her smile would widen a touch, or she would lick her lips, enjoying what she saw. Before long he was thrusting into his hand, his movements growing increasingly erratic as he approached completion, and then he was there, seed spurting into the space between them, splattering on the floor. Aria smirked at him and stood up, disappearing into the bathroom and returning with a damp washcloth. She tossed it at him and he was rather proud of how deftly he managed to catch it, considering.

"Clean up and get your ass in the bed," she ordered, still smiling. She turned and went into the bedroom herself, not bothering to wait for him.

Vega did as he was ordered, wondering what else she had planned for the night. He wasn't sure he'd be up for another round any time soon. Of course, that didn't mean there wasn't plenty he could do to take care of _her_. He grinned, pleasantly surprised at the small twitch his cock gave at the thrill of that thought. But when he entered the bedroom he was surprised to find Aria with a padded set of cuffs in hand. She ordered him to lie on the bed and then proceeded to bind him with the cuffs. He thought about speaking up, reminding her that human endurance wasn't necessarily equal to her own, but at the look in her eyes he closed his mouth before the words could escape.

_Somehow, I am sure she knows what she's doing_.

"Relax Vega," she told him once she'd gotten him arranged to her liking. He wasn't bound too tightly, he realized, just enough to keep him in place and to remind him that she was the one calling all of the shots here. That was fine by him, he decided after a moment's thought. Aria got off on being in the driver's seat and he was glad to let her if it meant he could just stop _thinking_ for a while and actually enjoy what his body was feeling for once.

She stroked him absent-mindedly and he was surprised to realize that he was already half-hard again. Aria noticed as well and gave him a wicked grin. Then she got down to business. She avoided touching his cock for some time after that, concentrating on every other damn part of his body. From the soles of his feet to the tips of his fingers, she touched and teased and licked and nipped him. Hard enough to hurt in a few places, light enough that he could barely feel it in others. She gathered up her biotic energy and used it to send small shocks throughout his body--the heels of his feet, the crook of an elbow, the back of a knee, the inside of each thigh--he lost track of how long that went on. Very light and teasing, nothing lasting more than a second or two, but added all together it ratcheted up his arousal considerably well.

He didn't bother keeping quiet. He groaned in approval at her ministrations, shouting when she bit down just a shade too hard, crying out in surprise and pleasure at shocks he didn't see coming. Once he was hard and aching again and straining not to buck into thin air, she apparently decided he was ready. She produced a small tub of some sort of lubrication, seemingly out of nowhere, and gently rubbed it thoroughly onto his cock. He could feel the substance warming his skin, sending little waves of heat pleasurably through his body, radiating out from his groin.

Aria leaned down and kissed him, surprisingly gentle, and then straddled him, sheathing him with her body. He cried out in pleasure and her voice joined his as she seated herself firmly on him. She began to move, slowly and without any sense of urgency, rolling her hips and touching herself to enhance her enjoyment. It felt to Vega like she rode him for hours, though he knew there was no way it could have been that long. Still, by the time she finally deigned to bring him to completion, she had already come several times.

He felt completely wrung out as she tossed him another washcloth, starting up a shower for herself. For the first time since they had begun their dalliance he truly regretted not being able to stay afterwards and curl up in that large comfortable bed to sleep off their exertions. By the time he made it back to his bunk on the Normandy he was stumbling about as if drunk. He fell into his pillow and passed out. It was one of the few truly solid nights of sleep he had managed since leaving Vancouver. When he woke up the next day he seriously considered sending Aria a thank you note and a bottle of her favorite liquor for that alone.

Of course, now he _couldn't_ jerk off without remembering that night, without feeling her eyes watching him bring himself to completion and then thinking about what had come after. A small part of him wondered if that hadn't been the whole idea in the first place...

That pleasant train of thought derailed and he was jarred back into the present when Esteban jagged the shuttle sharply to dodge another bolt of Reaper fire.

Briefly, Vega couldn't help but wonder if maybe he _should_ have tried to get to know Aria a little better. He rolled his shoulders, frowning at the thought. _She probably would have ripped my head off if I tried,_ he told himself. And while he knew that was most likely true, he couldn't shake that lingering sense of regret for what had never been.

"Damn it!" Vega looked up at Esteban's curse, mind instantly back on the mission.

"Status!" Shepard barked.

"That was the squad responsible for taking out that defense turret!" Vega shook his head at Cortez's response. That was a waste on a lot of fronts. Too many people had died already. Too many more would die here today.

"Who's on it now?" Trust Lola to be thinking about getting the mission done.

"Nobody in the vicinity. All either deployed or shot down."

"Drop us off!"

"Ma'am?" Vega shook his head, surprised that Esteban could still be surprised by Lola. He checked to make sure his helmet was secure and then verified that he was full up on ammo.

"We have to take that thing out before Hammer can land." Shepard told Cortez.  He turned back to his console.

"Understood." Shepard had already turned to the rear compartment when the acknowledgement came.

"Change of plans, people! We're gonna take out that Hades canon."

Vega sighed and stood up as the Major asked how Lola thought they were gonna achieve that goal. Back in the zone, Esteban piped up that the other shuttle would have been armed to do just that and Shepard made retrieving those weapons priority one. They shared nods all around as Cortez brought them close to the ground.

The Kodiak's door opened and Vega jumped out right behind Lola and alongside Scars and the Major, already returning fire as they moved out. Vega spared one last look at the sky, where he knew the Citadel hung in orbit, and then he turned his focus to killing the Reapers in front of him.


	5. Epilogue

All of the scientists in the damn galaxy were still freaking out about what the Crucible had done, Vega knew, but he had to admit he didn't feel that different. Sure, if he stood in the sun and the light hit his arm a particular way, he could see the faint shimmer of...what, circuits? Something different. Something new. Maybe his senses were a little sharper, his thoughts a little quicker. But then again, maybe that was just his imagination.

Everyone _else_ was just focused on rebuilding, on reveling in the fact that they were still _here_. That this cycle had survived the Reapers. That they had _fought back_ and won. It was only really the scientists who seemed to be looking into the long term effects of the cost. For now, at least.

All Vega wanted to do was get back into it. His N7 training had been put on indefinite hold while the Alliance underwent a massive reorganization in the wake of all it had lost during the occupation. He was hearing the word "infrastructure" a lot these days. Meanwhile, he and the rest of the human crew from the Normandy were being paraded around the planet and in the vids like the damn saviors of the galaxy. And okay, yeah, maybe that's sort of what they were, but they were just soldiers. They'd just been doing their damn jobs. That, and following Shepard.

The only good part about their "victory tour" as the brass liked to call it, was that he had run into Mel. It had been a brief encounter. He had managed to sneak away while they were visiting what was left of St. Louis and was sitting on the river bank, staring at the ruins of the Gateway Arch. A familiar voice calling his name made him turn and he was delighted to see Mel running towards him. He stood up to greet her and she launched herself at him in a hug.

"Glad you made it, Vega," she whispered into his ear before letting go.

"You too, Mel," he told her. Then his omni-tool had gone berserk, his honor guard demanding to know where he had gotten off to, and Mel had just laughed, hugged him again, and slipped off without another word. He stared after her for a minute and then heaved a sigh before returning to the rest of the crew, relieved to know she had survived.

The others had managed to escape back to their various homeworlds as soon as means of travel had been reestablished, but Vega suspected they were probably going through much the same thing with their own people. Well...Scars and Sparks for sure. He suspected Doc maybe had her own ways to stay out of the spotlight. Javik, of course, had gone off to "join his people" he had said, despite protestations from Earth's varying officials. Vega didn't really like to think about it, the guy was a dick but he was a damn good soldier, and the last of his kind. They had fought to _save_ species, not end them.

_Still, his call._

Thoughts of the crew led him, as always, back to thoughts of Shepard and he shook his head ruefully. If the rest of the crew were saviors, to the people of Earth she was the fucking _messiah_. Half of the talk Vega heard about her was speculation on when she'd come back from the dead. She'd done it before, hadn't she? Of course she would this time, too. He shook his head. Cerberus was done. There was no one else to pull off a second miracle.

"You would hate it down here, Lola," he said quietly into the air. Of course, he knew she would love it too, because it meant victory. It meant an end to the threat she had dedicated so much of her life to ending, despite lack of belief and support at almost every turn, even after the damn bugs were on the galaxy's doorstep, making themselves at home.

A beep from his terminal caught his attention and Vega paused in his push-ups to glance at it. The extranet was in ruins after the havoc the Crucible had wreaked on the relay system, but it was slowly getting put back together. Still, personal communications were almost nonexistent. Official correspondence had precedent. That meant that whatever message had just arrived was either orders or an extremely old note that had finally pushed its way to the top of the pile.

Curious, he grabbed a towel to wipe the sweat from his neck and wandered over to check it. He expected orders as he opened up the message. It wasn't like there was anyone who would be sending him a personal message anyway. Except...that's exactly what it was. Well, more or less. He wasn't certain "personal" was the right word, but it damn sure wasn't official. He glanced at the date and timestamp and was surprised to see that it had been sent only yesterday. It seemed EDI was still keeping an eye on her crew to the best of her abilities. Or maybe Doc. A small grin appeared on his face as he read the contents of the note:

_Vega,_

_I've managed to take Omega back, thanks to Cerberus' utter disarray at the loss of the Illusive Man. I would thank Shepard for that, but, well. My sources tell me you were part of the team that took down the Illusive Man's base of operations. I find myself in need of new staff, and of COMPETENT muscle. If you ever get tired of being lauded as a hero and want to see some real action again, there's a job open for you._

_You know where to find me if you want it._

_-A_

He tossed the towel in the corner and whistled a little tune as he headed for his shower. His mind was already considering ways to get off of Earth. He thought a certain shuttle pilot might be willing to help with an escape...


End file.
